Why do I write mysteries with cats in them? – Guest Post by Clea Simon, Author of A Spell of Murder﻿

GUEST POST –Why do I write mysteries with cats in them?

Isn’t it obvious? Cats make the best characters!

Although not all of my books feature cats, most do. In fact,
all but one of my 25 mysteries features cats prominently. Sometimes, the cats
are the narrators – like in my Blackie and Care series. Sometimes, they’re the
sidekicks, like in my Pru Marlowe pet noirs. Sometimes, the cats talk – Pru and
her tabby Wallis have long discussions. Sometimes, well, they’re just cats –
like in my Theda Krakow mysteries (like Mew
is for Murder), where my heroine loves her kitties and sets out to save
some felines in distress, but they don’t talk to her – or she to them.

And sometimes, like in my new “Witch Cats of Cambridge”
series, the cats are the smart ones. Take Clara, for example. This little
calico is the voice of reason in the new A
Spell of Murder, looking out for her human Becca, even while her older
littermaters, Harriet and Laurel, are, well, a little more traditionally feline
in their self-absorption. (Don’t get me wrong, Laurel and Harriet both love
Becca – and they come through in the end – but they’re really concerned with
their snacks and who gets to sleep in the sunny spot on the windowsill.)

Why do I write such a wide array of kitties? Because I see
them this way, each with their own unique personality. In fact, I think they
all deserve their own book, don’t you?

Clea Simon is the author of “A Spell of Murder,” the first in her new “Witch Cats of Cambridge” series. She is also the author of “World Enough,” a rock ‘n’ roll noir, as well as the Blackie and Care series (most recently “Cross My Path”) chronicling the adventures of the pink-haired Care and the black feral cat who loves her. In addition to these darker books, she is also the author of the Dulcie Schwartz feline mysteries, the Pru Marlowe pet noir mysteries, and the Theda Krakow mysteries, as well as three nonfiction books, including The Feline Mystique: On the Mysterious Connection Between Women and Cats.

The recipient of multiple honors, including the Cat Writers Associations Presidents Award, she lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, with her husband, Jon Garelick, and their cat, Musetta.